The present invention relates to power operated stock reels of the type having a swingably mounted dancer arm for sensing the size of the stock loop and for controlling operation of an electric reel drive motor. In such power operated stock reels, it is desirable that the operating angle of the dancer arm be adjustable. It is also desirable that the stock reel be adapted for operation with the dancer arm at either side of the reel, and that the stock reel be capable of either paying out or rewinding stock from either the top or the bottom of the reel.
In the prior art stock reels known to the applicant, a cam on the dancer arm pivot shaft was arranged to operate a dancer arm switch at a preselected angular position of the shaft, and the dancer arm was connected to the shaft so that the dancer arm could be angularly adjusted relative to the shaft and to the cam to change the operating angle of the dancer arm. It required considerable skill to change the operating angle by angularly adjusting the dancer arm relative to the dancer arm shaft. The operator had to apply a tool to the dancer arm pivot shaft; loosen the connection of the dancer arm to the front shaft; manipulate the tool to angularly position and hold the pivot shaft in the angular position at which the cam on the pivot shaft would actuate the switch; position and hold the dancer arm at the desired operating angle, and thereafter re-tighten the connection of the dancer arm to the shaft while holding both in the proper positions. In order to change the stock reel from operation with the dancer arm at one side of the reel to operation of the dancer arm at the other side of the reel, it was necessary to disassemble the dancer arm from its shaft and reassemble it with the dancer arm positioned at the other side of the reel, and to readjust the angular position of the dancer arm relative to the shaft in the manner previously described to positions that would be appropriate for the operation at that side of the reel. The prior art stock reels had a dancer arm function switch that was connected to the dancer arm switch to adapt the stock reel for payout and rewind operation, and a separate motor rotation control switch to enable reversing the direction of rotation of the reel drive motor as required in different payout and rewind operations at different sides of the stock reel. The prior art motor speed controls also commonly employed a speed control potentiometer to vary the speed of the reel drive motor and some of the motor controls included a selectively adjustable acceleration control to adjust the rate of acceleration of the reel.